LLE, LLM, LLR

In the summer of 2014, I applied to the U.K. Home Office for Limited Leave to Enter, which enabled me to live in the U.K. for 2.5 years on a spouse visa.
I spent my first year at university, obtaining an LLM, a Master of Laws.
And today, after working on this project for the past five days (hence no posts), I mailed my application for Limited Leave to Remain, which allows me to live here for another 2.5 years on a spouse visa. At the end of that period, I can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain and then for citizenship.

In America, a foreigner married to an American can get a permanent visa in a year, not five years. It used to be two years in Britain, but (then-Secretary-of-State) Theresa May changed it to five years to reduce immigration. Most of the immigrants come from the European Union, where visas aren’t required. So her regulations have not reduced immigration while creating no end of hassle for people like me.

So here’s the application I mailed today:

It includes both of our passports, an 81-page application form, passport photos of each of us, and the following documents:
Marriage certificate
Two birth certificates
One Judgment of Divorce (David)
Six paystubs (David)
Five bank statements
Two property tax notices
One Vanguard account statement
One insurance statement
One HM Revenue statement
One electric bill
One bank letter

We had to have a certain number of bank statements or utilities mailed to our address in both our names. We didn’t have enough in both names, so we had to also have official mail to each of us separately at this address.

The above list are all originals, we also had to provide copies. So about 140 pages in all. Believe it or not, it was actually an easier process than in 2014 because David has been in his UK job for more than six months this time. That made it easier to prove we meet the income requirement. Also, this time I didn’t have to document all of my travel over the last decade.

I should hear within a few weeks whether I’ve passed this test. They have the right to refuse you on the flimsiest of grounds.
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